YOUR VIEW: Lack of fiscal plan falls on Select Board's shoulders

Wednesday

Nov 26, 2008 at 12:01 AM

I hope we can all understand the frustration of the Dartmouth Select Board in coming to the decision not to renew Executive Administrator Michael Gagne's contract. They are under severe pressure to keep the town government functioning with a serious and growing shortage of tax revenue.

BRIAN HAWES

I hope we can all understand the frustration of the Dartmouth Select Board in coming to the decision not to renew Executive Administrator Michael Gagne's contract. They are under severe pressure to keep the town government functioning with a serious and growing shortage of tax revenue.

They have requested that Mr. Gagne write up a plan that covers all potential problems, all potential crises, including the dismantling of vital town departments, if the town's financial situation worsens. They have requested regionalization, consolidation and privatization evaluations and options to be included in the plan as potential courses of action. All of which would mean radical changes to the traditional form of government, the government Mr. Gagne has successfully labored so hard for decades to protect and nurture for the residents of Dartmouth.

I hope we can all imagine these concepts would be gut-wrenching for anyone so dedicated to Dartmouth. I believe the Select Board attempted to write the plan and failed, eventually turning the task over to Mr. Gagne. I hope we can all imagine the huge difficulty he faced in writing up such a plan. There are so many variables, so much research, not to mention the preliminary negotiations and evaluations with private companies and other municipal governments.

It would be especially difficult for Mr. Gagne, who as town administrator is working alone, without an assistant and extremely short-staffed. He is the 24/7 person, right out straight with 50 or more groups to manage on a daily basis with all the boards, committees, councils, commissions, organizations, departments, resident requests and state requirements, etc.

It is my opinion that the Select Board should have realized the difficulty Mr. Gagne faced long ago and hired an assistant or consultant for him, someone who was fully qualified and capable of doing all the legwork and the writing of the plan they requested. I am laying the failure of "no plan" squarely on the heads of the Select Board.

Mr. Gagne's knowledge of the town, region and state is immense, so much so he is surely the most valuable human resource Dartmouth and perhaps the region has. His value to the town is immeasurable just by the knowledge he adds to any meeting he attends. No replacement could possibly provide the knowledge he provides. His past and present dedication to this town and his many successes have gone unappreciated by many, especially by those who have not been involved in town affairs, but those of us who are involved fully appreciate all he has done for the town he loves.

I am calling on the Select Board to reverse their vote not to renew Mr. Gagne's contract and further to hire a fully qualified and capable assistant, or a consultant, who can research and write the plan they have requested. I urge the silent majority to support this call by speaking up; Michael Gagne must remain in Dartmouth.